The PS5’s pre-order situation has been a bit of a dumpster fire. Though Sony had originally said that they would give ample notice before opening pre-orders for the console, in the end, that “ample” notice turned out to be a day. And even that day was cut short, with retailers around the world pulling the trigger early. Many who had hoped to get a pre-order in haven’t been able to do so, and Sony have been at the end of plenty of criticism for how they’ve handled the situation. It seems Microsoft are working to ensure that the same doesn’t happen with the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
We’ve known for a while that pre-orders for the consoles will go live on September 22, but in a recent Xbox Wire post, Microsoft gave specific details on timings, retailers, regions, and more, so you can be properly prepared when the time comes.
The Xbox Series S and Series X can be pre-ordered online on September 22 at the following retailers in separate regions at the following times:
- United States (8AM PT): Microsoft Store, Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, Newegg, and other participating retailers
- Canada (8AM PT): Microsoft Store, Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, EB Games, The Source, and other participating retailers
- UK (8AM BST): Microsoft Store, GAME, Amazon, Dixons, Currys PC World, Argos, John Lewis, Smyths Toys, VERY, AO, Tesco, Simply Game, Shopto and other participating retailers
- Australia (8AM AEST): Microsoft Store, JB Hifi, EB Games, Telstra, Harvey Norman, and other participating retailers
- New Zealand (8AM NZST): Microsoft Store, JB HiFi, EB Games, Spark, and other participating retailers
Meanwhile, in Europe, Middle East, and Africa, pre-orders will go live at 9 AM CEST at Microsoft Store, Amazon, MediaMarkt, GameStop, FNAC, Elkjøp/Elgiganten, and other participating retailers. Microsoft have also pointed out that “retailers and availability may differ by country.”
Meanwhile, if you’re looking to go with Microsoft’s Xbox All-Access financing options (which gives you an Xbox Series S or Series X plus 24 months of Game Pass Ultimate for $25 or $35 per month respectively for 24 months), you can place those pre-orders at the following retailers:
- United States (8AM PT): Best Buy, GameStop, Microsoft Store, and Walmart
- Australia (8AM AEST): Telstra
- New Zealand (8AM NZST): Spark
- UK (8AM BST): GAME and Smyths Toys
- Denmark (9AM CEST): Elgiganten
- Finland (9AM CEST): Gigantti
- Norway (9AM CEST): Elkjøp
- Sweden (9AM CEST): Elgiganten
Microsoft adds that Xbox All-Access won’t be available in Canada, France, Poland, and South Korea on September 22, but will be available as an option to consumers there before the upcoming consoles launch. Details on the same are set to be provided at a later date.
The Xbox Series S and Series X will launch worldwide on November 10.